Love in Spring revised
by Koharu-chan
Summary: Kenshin always seems to tease and mock Kaoru a lot even though they hardly know each other. Is there a reason behind it? And Sanosuke seems to keep popping out suddenly wherever Kaoru is-and Kaoru is clueless about everything. Rating may go up. KK SK KM
1. Why encounter?

**Author's notes: **Konnichiwa! This is the revision of the last Love in Spring! I hope you would like this revised edition!

**Disclaimer: **I no own. You no sue.

**Warning: **_I __want to thank dear Slashy for the cute disclaimer! _Okay…those who had read the original Love in spring, I know you would see some of the changes in the story… Hehehe… Also, some of the chapters may contain not-so-suitable languages, just to express the emotion of the character… I'll rate this PG-13, by the way!!

**--------Love in Spring--------**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Why did I have to encounter?!****

* * *

**

I ran fast up to the stairs that I nearly tripped. I mumbled a light curse absently, and grabbed my things that fell on the floor. "Oh God I'm late!!" I exclaimed. The bell rung clearly and my heart began to throb fast.

_Please, please don't let me be late in my first day...!_

At last, I'm at the place where I'm destined to, and looked at each classroom. I went to the 4-A class door and I searched for my name quickly on the piece of cardboard hanging there and there it was.

_Kaoru Kamiya._

Oh, I almost forgot my introduction. I am Kamiya Kaoru, sometimes they call me Kaoru, but other people prefer to call me "Kao" because they are so lazy to say my whole name. Damn lazy people—except for my parents and friends, of course!

_Bah._

I went inside my fourth year high school class. I looked at everyone and they were chatting about their vacation and anything else that I didn't care anymore. Good thing the teacher wasn't there yet. My eyes caught a familiar darn redhead, and I frowned. First day of classes, he is--!

"Kaoru-chan! Kaoru-chan!! Over here!!"

I turned my head around rather awkwardly and saw my best friend, Misao Makimachi. "Misao-chan!" I sat beside the chair where Misao's was, getting rid of the boy there who occupied the seat immediately when he heard Misao calling me to seat there. I hate those kinds of people. Good for them to receive nice kicking and punching, yes.

"We really are very lucky, Kaoru-chan! We're in the A section class!" Misao exclaimed.

I smiled at her. "We really are going to be lucky if THAT boy is not here." I mumbled, rolling my eyes. Oh, you still don't know 'that' incident, right??

Misao seemed to hear it. "Himura?" she mouthed.

I nodded furiously. "I still haven't forgotten what he had done to me when I was in Grade six! He's so annoying and I really hate him!!" I exclaimed, but in a whisper.

_Sh. Here I am, remembering 'that' awful day when I really got embarrassed...!_

Misao and I both looked at Himura Kenshin. That damn Himura Kenshin.

"He's cute and handsome... But he's very boastful and I heard he has lots of ex-girlfriends," Misao whispered.

"...that he played with. Don't forget that. He's a playboy!" I exclaimed but still in a whisper.

"Oh..."

"That's why I hate him. He treats us women like toys." I replied, decreasing the volume of my voice when I saw a middle-aged man walk inside our classroom with index cards on the right hand and a book on the left.

"Hello class. I'm your class adviser, Watsuki-sensei (disclaimer too! Hehehe). Please introduce yourselves one by one."

Misao held my hand, and I felt her cold skin. "Misao-chan, are you nervous?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Very much, Kaoru-chan. I could feel my hair rising. I'm always like this if we introduce ourselves in front of the class—though I've been doing it for some years now!! I'm so weird…"

Soon, all of us introduced ourselves. Watsuki-sensei arranged our sitting arrangement, and I was totally surprised that my seat mate at my left is Himura Kenshin. "Why did it have to be me?!" I thought.

I sat beside Tae that was one of my friends. "Oh hello, Kaoru-chan! It's good that we're seatmates." Tae said.

"I'm grateful!" I said lamely. I looked at Himura secretly with rage and he was talking with the girls around him. "He's such a playboy. Why do I have to encounter him in my life?"

It was half day only. We were dismissed early.

* * *

While we were lining up to get down to the school quadrangle, I was chitchatting with my friends, Tae, Misao and Megumi Takani. I heard a familiar voice and it was Sagara Sanosuke—Sagara Sanosuke??!

Sagara Sanosuke is a_ real_ hot guy. He was the next heart throb of the girls. Many girls are dying and are crazy over him, and I'm one of them. I am really crazy for Sanosuke. Imagine--he's good-looking, cute, strong, kind, rich, everything that a girl wants from a guy.

I stared at Sanosuke, daydreaming that I was with Sanosuke in this beautiful weird place. We were holding hands, close to each other, and... That will be too impossible.

With all the beautiful girls around the school campus, he will be with this ugly, pathetic, tomboyish, talkative, not-so-smart rookie, and no poise girl?! Okay, enough exaggeration.

"Kaoru-chan, let's buy some coke first. I'm thirsty!" Megumi exclaimed, stroking her throat gently.

I nodded and turned to face Megumi. I was smiling while talking with my friends, and I saw Himura suddenly staring at me on the corner of my eye. I could see him. What's he looking at anyway?

We went down from the stairs and bought ourselves a refreshing drink.

I drank simple bottled water, and taste the sweetness of it even though there's none.

"Guys, I heard some news." Misao started, looking at me and winking.

I paused drinking the water in the bottle to look at Misao confusedly, raising my eyebrows at her.

"What is it?" Tae asked, knowing that I wanted to hear what Misao had known.

"Megumi, please say it. I have a loud voice!" Misao said and muffled her giggles with her handkerchief.

"I'm going to be blunt. Ken-san is going to be a superstar." Megumi said simply.

"NANI???!!! (What???)" I shouted and spit out the water I tasted in paradise (Really no _poise_ at all).

"AHH! Kaoru-chan! Watch it!" Megumi exclaimed as she moved away from me with Misao laughing harder than before that she was crying already.

"W-what the hell did you just say?" I said, calmer than the first one.

"Kaoru-chan! You're shouting like you've just seen a devil or something." Misao said.

"I know! But can you repeat what you just said, Megumi-chan?" I said, putting the bottle water inside my bag.

"I said that Himura Kenshin's going to be a superstar. He already created a commercial for a shampoo brand and many more to go!" Megumi said.

"B-but why is he... Why is he going to be a superstar?!" I exclaimed again.

"Kaoru-chan, are you blind? He's cute, he's handsome, he's photogenic, he's kind, he's well-built, he's strong, he's rich, he's..." Tae said on and on.

"I didn't know that Tae could be THAT talkative." I murmured to both Megumi and Misao.

They nodded their heads.

"But Tae-chan is right. Ken-san has the charisma." Megumi said.

_Since when did you and Himura become so close?_

"Kaoru-chan, aren't you excited that your seatmate will be a famous superstar?" Misao exclaimed. "Maybe you can also ask him for an autograph and let the other girls be jealous of you!"

"No way!" I exclaimed. "Maybe you are the one who's excited." I mumbled. "I just hate him!" I then said and went out of the school with my friends calling me back.

I angrily walked down the road of Cherry Blossoms. Sakura. _Why did Himura have to become so popular? He is already popular in the school campus—then outside too? You're kidding me._

The breeze blew my school hat, and I looked around. The Sakura were floating everywhere and it was breezy. It gave me a light feeling. "I suppose they still don't know why I'm so angry at Himura..." I whispered to myself as I put my hat back on when I caught it.

(NOTE: In Japan, when you call a person in the opposite gender, it means that he/she means something to you. So practically, classmates that are not so close with each other call each other in their surnames.)

**Flashback...**

It was Kenshin who said it.

_Kenshin who?_

Himura Kenshin.

While still in grade six, Tae had a crush named Enishi Yukishiro. Since Tae is one of my friends, I decided to make Yukishiro and Tae closer. I made friends with Enishi and told everything about Tae's beauty to Enishi.

Yukishiro has lots of friends--tons of them because he was so popular. What I didn't know was that Himura Kenshin is one of his best friends. Their group was the cutest boys' group, preferably, since Sanosuke is also there...

Himura and Yukishiro's other friends found out that Yukishiro and I have been talking with each other by phone and internet. They thought that I had a crush on him. But no.

_Then** that** happened…_

I went to Tae's house after dismissal. My two friends, Shura and Sayo were with me. We three were walking towards our home.

Shura said that she will accompany me to my house. I agreed, and Sayo joined.

"Don't worry, Kamiya, your dear Yukishiro Enishi will accompany you towards your house!" a very noisy voice exclaimed, with the voice's owner's friends laughing with him loudly.

Everybody knew the hot guy Yukishiro Enishi, and therefore, when they realized it was me who was Kamiya Kaoru, they looked at me and started gossiping.

_Whoever that is--!_?

I didn't turn around, but Shura and Sayo did. I asked who was it, and they said it was Himura Kenshin.

It's not that I'm easily tricked by his simple tease. It's just that the whole school campus know that I **like** that Yukishiro—when I didn't have **any** interest with him whatsoever. That time I was creating my image, and **_he_** destroyed it!!

My head spin in nowhere. I was going crazy!! I didn't have feelings for that Enishi!

"You're going to pay what you have done to me, Himura Kenshin!!!!!!!!" I angrily shouted on the top of my voice at the mountain during vacation.

**End of flashback...**

* * *

I scratched my head. "What did you do to me?! I'm not doing anything to you!!" I exclaimed. I continued to walk through the road where many Sakura trees grew. My thoughts about Himura had been washed suddenly by a strong wave. It was Sanosuke's image.

"Ah... Sanosuke..." I whispered, oblivious to the steps approaching me.

"Hai?"

My eyes widened, recognizing the voice. I turned around slowly, my eyes meeting the eyes I've been waiting for so long to stare at… "S-Sagara-san?!"

"Hey, Sanosuke's fine. You called me. What is it?" Sanosuke calmly said, smiling. He sounded like he knew me very well. He walked towards me slowly in small steps.

Before I could say something, a **_devil_** appeared suddenly. "Hey Sano! We agreed to go to the mall! Let's go now!" A certain Himura Kenshin said in an "airy" aura while looking at the both of us.

I bit my lower lip. "How dare he destruct my conversation with Sanosuke?" I thought. I lifted my head up and saw Himura staring at me with a bizarre feeling, and then turned his head quickly at Sanosuke.

"Is he eye catching at me? Well, I don't care about him!!" I mumbled.

But somehow, deep inside me, the feeling was changing. Is it true that, "The more you hate the more you love?"

This world really is vexatious for me.

Do I really deserve this fate, Kami-sama?

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Koharu-chan's notes**: Konnichiwa, all of you! Hope you enjoyed this super revised chapter with the help of the reviewers! I know it's a really short chapter, but the following chapters will be longer…! More coming soon!! Oh, and also, I have a blog! Just look at my profile and you'll see—and there in that blog, I will tell when I'll update my stories, and so on!

Ja ne.


	2. Amusement is bad

**Author's notes: **I made Kaoru a not-so-rich-not-so-poor girl in this story, so I'm sorry if this is really different from the original Love in Spring… Also, it's good that I can still update this revised version! I hope the buyer gets my computer when it's time for us to leave—you know, maybe a day or two before "it"!

**Notice: **I've just noticed… In this story, it seems like Kenshin and Sanosuke have exchanged personalities. Kenshin must be the kind, sweet, generous, and gentleman, right? While Sano must be like the freakin' teaser, the playboy, and other "bad" attitudes, like what's written on his back. I agree that Sano is really kind too but—well, just enjoy the story!

**WARNING: **There can be use of violent words, sexual implications, suicide (maybe) and others for the purpose of heating the drama up and to express the feelings of the characters. Because of that, the rating may go up from time to time. So, don't flame me saying that I didn't warn you. Hehehe…

**Disclaimer: **I no own. You no sue.

**Chapter 2: Amusement is bad**

* * *

"_Hey, Sanosuke's fine. You called me. What is it?" Sanosuke calmly said, smiling. He sounded like he knew me very well. He walked towards me slowly in small steps._

_Before I could say something, a **devil** appeared suddenly. "Hey Sano! We agreed to go to the mall! Let's go now!" A certain Himura Kenshin said in an "airy" aura while looking at the both of us._

_I bit my lower lip. "How dare he destruct my conversation with Sanosuke?" I thought. I lifted my head up and saw Himura staring at me with a bizarre feeling, and then turned his head quickly at Sanosuke._

* * *

First of all, did he even glance at _this_ Kaoru?

"Kamiya Kaoru, right?" Sanosuke suddenly said, snapping me out of my thoughts. He looked at me as if he was worried about something but still with a smile.

"Uh-huh!" I said quickly with a curt nod. I looked at a certain **_filthy_** Himura and he was watching us and he was keeping an eye on me. I didn't know why, but I did not really like it at all. "You can call me Kaoru, if you want to." I whispered to Sanosuke, glaring at Himura for a second before glancing up at Sanosuke again.

…and I think I heard Himura giving a meaningful cough.

"Well, Kaoru, I'm sorry if we couldn't continue our conversation. I'll find a way to _resume_ it." Sanosuke said, looking at Himura.

Himura blinked, raised his eyebrows and turned around. "Hurry up. We don't have time for these corny stuffs." he said and went away.

I looked at Himura, thinking that I so want to scratch his head off! _Corny_, so he says? "What's wrong with him?" I asked Sanosuke, turning around to face him again.

"He's just like that. You're classmates, right?" Sanosuke asked, looking around the cherry trees.

"Yup, he's my seatmate also." I said and fixed my school hat over my head. "So, you better go, right? Your friends would be angry at you if you are late…"

"Yeah. You're right." Sanosuke said, smiling at me so sweetly that I didn't know if it was a fake smile or not. He turned around but then he faced me. "See you." he whispered and ran off.

I blinked, lifted my hands to touch my cheeks and bit my lip.

"KYAAAAAAA!"

I touched the spot on my chest where my heart is placed, pounding hard. "This…is a dream." I whispered, slapping myself and wincing when I felt the pain sting on my cheek. "This isn't a dream." I mumbled and happily _hopped_ my way towards our apartment while humming my song that I've just created seconds ago about Sanosuke being like a _god_.

…like any other fangirl.

* * *

"_Tadaima_ (I'm home)!" I exclaimed, almost throwing my bag somewhere, if my _okaasan_ (mother) wasn't standing by the door of the kitchen.

"_Okaeri nasai _(Welcome home), Kaoru." Okaasan greeted and placed her eyes back on what she was cooking.

"Hmm… Smells nice! What's for dinner?" I asked, kissing my mom on her cheek.

"Sukiyaki."

"Wha? Do we have enough money to buy beef that came from Kobe?" I asked, shocked.

"Kao-chan, we're not that poor, honey! We still have some money to eat special foods like this, okay? Don't worry…" Okaasan whispered,

"I can't wait!" I said, going up to my room. I placed my hand on the doorknob and instantly threw myself inside my small room when the phone rang loudly. Unfortunately, I tripped even before I could touch the phone. I massaged my aching backside and placed the phone beside my ear. "Moshi-moshi?"

No answer.

"Moshi-moshi?" I repeated, unbuttoning my blouse.

Still no answer.

_What the f--?_

"Hey, prank caller, I don't want to admit it but we have a caller I.D.!" I lied and exclaimed over the phone, almost tripping again because I was taking off my skirt. "I'll trace you down with your number shown here and I'll cut off your telephone lines!"

Actually, I didn't know what I was saying. I didn't even understand what I was saying!

"So what's my number?" the sly, mysterious, and very familiar voice said.

I blinked. So this guy isn't one of the stupid prank callers that get scared easily. "You're just lucky because it isn't working!" I snapped rather lamely.

"Admit it. You don't have one." the voice said, followed with a soft chuckle because of maybe amusement.

_Gulp._

"H-how do _you_ know? I don't even know you! What are you? Are you my stalker or something?" I asked with a laugh, taking off my socks. _My_ very own stalker? Yeah, right.

Silence.

"Um…hello? Are you still there, prank caller?" I whispered. Why did he get silent so suddenly?

"What if I am?" the voice asked.

My eyes widened. I suddenly thought of the movies I watched with stalkers included. I looked out of the window and there was no one holding a phone or cell phone. Wait…stalkers are good in hiding, right? "You're not serious…" I whispered, getting a little afraid.

"I'm not!" the voice said and started laughing loudly over the phone that it almost made me deaf. "You're such a **_blockhead_**, Kamiya…"

Was it just my imagination that the voice **softened** when it spoke my surname?

"So what if I am? I'm not playing your dirty games anyway!" I exclaimed. "Who are you anyway?"

"Himura." the voice said quickly.

"Uh….? Who?" I repeated, rather shocked because of the quickness.

"Himura Kenshin, **_idiot_**."

I blinked for some seconds then it registered in my mind that it was really that **_devil_** in disguise Himura Kenshin. "What the! When did you start calling me names! I hardly even know you!"

"I do what I want." he said simply.

"Well that will not take effect on me, _baka _(idiot)!"

"Listen, **_dead-last_**—"

"What did you say?" I interrupted, waving my fist at my pillow, thinking it was Himura. "You don't have the right to—"

"Will you shut up and listen, Kamiya!" Himura exclaimed.

My eyes widened. I thought he was the kind of guy that wouldn't dare to shout at girls. I guess I was wrong. I bit my lip.

Himura sighed. "I'm sorry for shouting. I just called you to ask Takani-san's phone or cell phone number." he whispered that I almost couldn't hear it.

"It's okay!" I exclaimed, feeling my heart thumping fast and my hair rising as I heard Himura apologizing. "Um…and I don't have her number. And why do you want to know?" I asked, very curious. "Do you like her?" I asked, rather in a random mode.

"No. I don't."

"Oh… Don't get the wrong idea anyway! She's just my friend so I have the right to know—"

"I know." Himura suddenly said.

"Oh?"

"I like somebody else. Er…wait. Why am I saying this to you? Thank you very much for wasting my time, Kamiya-san." Himura said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

"You're the one who's wasting my time!"

"Bye." Himura said with a soft and short chuckle and suddenly put the phone down.

_Tut! Tut! Tut!_

"What the hell is he thinking, hanging up just like that!"

I stared at the phone and opened my mouth to say more, but the words wouldn't come out. "Oh, I forgot to ask how he got my number!" I said to myself, sighing as I lied on the futon. "I wonder who Himura likes…" I whispered to myself. I sat back up instantly.

What the hell am I saying? I don't give a damn about him anyway!

_And why should I know? Do I need to know? Maybe it's some popular girl in our school or other._

"Kaoru-chan! Kaoru-chan!" Okaasan called out.

"Yep?" I asked, opening the door of my small room. "What is it?"

My mother looked at me for a moment with surprise. "Um, Kao-chan, why are you in your lingerie? Get dressed properly or else Otousan (father) might see you. And as soon as you get dressed, please fix the table and we'll have our dinner."

I looked at myself and blushed. _I forgot to put some clothes on because of my conversation with Himura! _With that thought, I blushed harder that my mom eyed me. "Um, I'll go downstairs in a flash!" I said and closed the door. I went towards my small cabinet and dug out some appropriate clothing.

As I wore some clothing, I thought about Sanosuke again. "Sanosuke is very handsome and appealing…he also has the charisma! But then…why is Himura the only one who's going to be a superstar?" I whispered to myself, my eyes suddenly staring at the pillow I thought was Himura a while ago.

**Flashback…**

"They are so cute, aren't they?" a senior girl A said to her friend.

I blinked and listened to their conversation. It was lunch break, and I was getting some apple juices but then I heard the two girls talking. I was just a freshman, so I thought those seniors have something interesting to talk about.

"No wonder. That certain Yukishiro Enishi's group has the popular jocks and some handsome with talent guys! I guess the freshmen this year are going to be popular because of their looks!" senior girl B said, blushing slightly.

_Yukishiro Enishi's group?_

"Oh, I almost forgot! You know Himura Kenshin? He's so cute and handsome, you know? Despite his height, he really is so appealing and so charming that I and the other girls would want to stare at him forever! He's the best in that group—because he's good-looking, cute, kind, rich, and everything!" senior girl A squealed.

_Himura Kenshin…?_

"I don't agree! I think Sagara Sanosuke is! He's not only tall, he's a gentleman, handsome, kind, very athletic, and he has a sexy body! He's the best!" senior girl B exclaimed followed with a scream.

_Sagara Sanosuke?_

"Well, okay, both of them are great. But Himura-kun is still lucky, right? Just because he's the son of a very handsome actor and a very beautiful lady, he is, too! Don't you think Himura-kun is more like 'gorgeous' than 'handsome'?" senior A asked.

"Probably!" senior girl B said with a sigh. "Does Sagara-kun like older women than him? The age difference is only three!"

"I don't know. But I guess the freshmen and the girls younger than them have a chance!" senior girl A said and laughed.

I blinked and walked away, forgetting to get the apple juices that I was thinking about a while ago.

**Another flashback… (3rd year)**

"The survey is finished! The results are being posted on the bulletin board at the hallway—let's go, Kaoru-chan!" Misao said excitedly and held my wrist as she pulled me.

"What survey?" I asked confusedly, blinking.

"You'll find out. It was created by some freshmen and sophomore girls—um, gays too." Misao said and giggled. "You like Sagara Sanosuke, right?"

I blushed. "Why?"

"Here it is!" Misao said and we stopped running.

The hallway, particularly the place where the bulletin board is located was filled with girls crowding together. Some were quivering, some were squealing, some were fighting, and some were crying.

I pushed myself into the crowd to see what was the survey all about that the girls were looking excitedly at. Fortunately, I reached the bulletin board safely. I observed the paper that was posted there. It was written there that it was a survey to know who the top 10 heartthrobs in the school campus are and who among them is the most loved by the girls.

"Hmm… Let see…" I whispered to myself and averted my eyes at the list. My eyes widened.

**1st—**Himura Kenshin—3-A

**2nd—**Sagara Sanosuke—3-B

"So it's Himura-kun!" Misao suddenly said, surprising me a little bit. "Well, at least Sagara-san is in the 2nd place. That means a lot too, you know?"

I looked at Misao slowly and grabbed her wrist as we pushed ourselves out of the crowd.

"Ow! You're hurting my thin wrist!" Misao exclaimed when we got out of the noisy crowd. "What is it?"

"Why is it Himura?" I asked Misao, blinking. "He's not so nice to girls, you know!"

Misao looked at me too. "Are you blind Kaoru-chan? He's kind, nice, and a gentleman!"

_He's a devil in disguise!_

"I don't understand you sometimes… You really hate Himura but I don't see anything that would make any girl mad at him." Misao whispered, scratching her head.

"You just don't know what happened…"I mumbled, not letting Misao hear it.

"Anyway, you're lucky that Sagara-san is in the 2nd place. You would have a chance on him, don't you think so?" Misao exclaimed, laughing. "All the girls would be chasing Himura-kun, leaving Sagara-san to you _alone_!" she said with a sly smile and a teasing voice at the last word.

"How do you know? Sagara-san is still the best…so there would still be girls chasing him…" I whispered, trying to convince Misao.

"Oh, let's look at the other survey! It's in another hallway—so let's go fast!" Misao exclaimed, pulling me again while holding my arm.

"Ow! Now you're the one who's hurting me!" I exclaimed, trying to get out of Misao's grasp. Fortunately, she released my arm because we already arrived at the other hallway. The bulletin board was surrounded by crowding boys. "There's a survey here too?"

Misao nodded. "Yup! Now it's the girls' turn!" she said and pushed herself in the crowd while saying 'excuse me'.

I shook my head and sighed. But then, I was curious about the girl that is the heartthrob of the boys so I pushed myself to the crowd helplessly. I panted when I reached the bulletin board because of the heavy weight of the boys at my back and they were all—boys!

"So…you're here! Just tell me—if you're going to be okay!" Misao whispered slowly as she tried to kick the boy at her back who was trying to do 'something'.

I nodded and looked at the paper. I just blinked, not really surprised.

"So it's Megumi-chan!" Misao exclaimed, giggling at me.

I giggled back and looked lower at the paper posted at the board. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice.

"Get out of the way." Yukishiro Enishi said, pushing the boys aside that were blocking his path. He was followed by his other friends and they did the same to the boys who were blocking their way.

"Cheeky." Misao whispered to me.

"Yup—not mention his friends too." I whispered, looking at Himura and the others. I tried to look for Sanosuke, but unfortunately he wasn't there. That was good, even then.

Yukishiro saw me staring at him and he smirked. I hated smirks, but then I just raised my eyebrows.

"Oh, Kamiya Kaoru, why are you here?" Yukishiro said, smiling.

"This is a free country." I replied lamely.

Yukishiro looked at me and exploded with a loud laughter. His friends mimicked what he was doing and laughed at me too.

I just stared at Yukishiro blankly and I noticed Himura not laughing at all. Hmm. Maybe it's because Yukishiro is corny? I don't know.

"Yes, yes. I'm so sorry for forgetting." Yukishiro said with short laughs, but then glared at me that I stepped aside. He smirked again and looked at the paper. "So it's Takani… Hmm? What's this? Kamiya is included and is in the 10th place? Whoa… The world is turning upside down!"

"Really?" I exclaimed, totally ignorant. I looked at the paper once again and grinned widely when I saw my name printed out there.

"Yeah, bimbo." Yukishiro snapped. "Maybe it's because you like me that you are in the top 10!" he whispered and chuckled.

I blinked then the words he said registered in my mind. "WHAT!" I shouted at him.

"Now, now, don't get fired up. You'll lose your beauty points." Yukishiro said, placing his hand at my shoulder. He closed his eyes for a second and opened them immediately as he suddenly pushed me out of his way. "Stay away."

I almost thought I have fallen down, but then I felt strong arms around me before I could even touch the floor.

Yukishiro and his friends were all wide-eyed and stared at the person hovering above me.

"Enishi, treat women with respect, at least."

I blinked and tilted my head up. My eyes widened.

"You shouldn't interfere, Sano." Yukishiro whispered bitterly. It seems that he thought Sanosuke embarrassed him.

Sanosuke looked at me and smiled. "You okay?" he whispered, helping me stand up.

I nodded quickly as I looked at my shoes while blushing mad. "Yeah…"

"Let it go, Enishi." Himura suddenly said, his voice awfully low and there was something in it that made the situation scary.

"Why should I?" Yukishiro shot back, putting his hands inside his side pockets.

My thoughts were suddenly ripped when Himura suddenly stared at me.

"She's just an **_idiot_.**" Himura mumbled and raised his eyebrows when his friends and Yukishiro laughed.

"Idiot!" I exclaimed to myself as I glared at Himura and gritted my teeth.

"I'll handle this. You go ahead and leave." Sanosuke whispered, smiling at me. "They're usually like that, but you don't need to bother. They won't embarrass you or try to piss you off. I know them well."

I blinked. _Himura won't try to embarrass and piss me off?_ Yeah right, because he already have done that.

"We should probably go," Misao whispered to me, holding my arm.

I nodded in agreement. I stuck my tongue out at Himura and he was surprised for a second. I was also surprised when he suddenly smiled (I think) at me and went away from the group of Yukishiro that were being 'lectured' by Sanosuke. I took one last glance at Sanosuke Sagara, my savior, and I ran away together with Misao to go to our classroom.

**End of flashbacks…**

"I've forgotten that Himura called me an 'idiot' that time… But why? We even hardly talk to each other!" I whispered to myself, making my way towards the dining room. I placed the plates and chopsticks on the table and other needed utensils until all were set.

"Tadaima." Otousan suddenly said.

"Okaeri nasai, anata (darling)!" Okaasan happily greeted.

I turned around to greet my father too but once I saw the two of them plant a quick kiss on each other's lips, I suddenly felt the burning desire to place a quick kiss on somebody's lips. I shook my head slightly and greeted my father anyway.

I wonder… Who would give me my first kiss?

* * *

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

I opened one eye lazily and closed it again. The alarm clock rung again, this time loudly, so I raised my right hand to press the snooze button on top of the clock and everything around me became quiet and peaceful once again. I nuzzled my cheek against the pillow and the blankets and sighed happily.

"_Tanoshii yuu ge... Saa kakomimashou. Kyou no namida wa kora asu no chikara ni shite…"_

(Pleasant supper… Now, let's gather around. Look to this day's tears to bring tomorrow's strength…)

I groaned and sat up as I blinked furiously. I scratched my head in annoyance as I walked towards the window and looked out. I saw Misao outside and she saw me looking at her.

"Hey! Why the irritated face?" Misao exclaimed, smiling. She knew that I hated it when she wakes me up with a song she's singing that's out of tune.

"What **else**?" I exclaimed and shook my head. "You can come up here. I'm just going to get a shower." I said and withdrew from the window. I rolled the futon nicely at the corner of my room and went out to the hallway to go to the bathroom. When I finished showering myself, I went back to my room and saw Misao reading a manga that probably has been scattered on the floor.

Unfortunately, Misao didn't plan to keep quiet. She coughed meaningfully and continued the song she was singing a while ago.

"_LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA…LA! Subarashiki, love and life! LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA…LA! Ai subeki, love and life!"_

(La, La, La! A wonderful feeling, love and life! La, La, La! Loveable, love and life!)

I put on my school uniform and combed my hair, finding myself humming to the tune of the song. I put on my socks and the school hat, and I grabbed my bag swiftly. "Well…let's go downstairs then?"

Misao nodded. She put down the manga she was reading and stood up as she grabbed her bag. She followed me towards the dining room and sat on the floor beside the table. She blinked because all that was served on the table were plenty of rice balls.

"I'll just have 3 rice balls for recess, okaasan!" I said to my okaasan who was in the kitchen.

"Okay!"

"Rice balls only for recess?" Misao asked, bewildered.

I nodded. "Yeah! I love rice balls anyway." I said and put 3 rice balls in a small plastic. "I'm going to school now! See you later!" I exclaimed as I ate two rice balls at a time, putting on my shoes that was at the door.

"See you tomorrow, Kamiya-san!" Misao exclaimed too and opened the door to go outside.

"_Iterasshai_!" Okaasan said from the kitchen.

I opened the door and we went outside to walk towards the bus stop.

"Well, it's the 2nd day of classes, right? That means it's the start of discussions and notes!" Misao said to me excitedly and went inside the bus when it came suddenly.

I put some yen coins on the coin box and went towards the seats and sat by the window. "Hey, Misao-chan…" I whispered, looking outside the window.

"What's up?"

"Are you the one…who gave Himura my phone number?" I asked her in a serious mode.

Misao blinked. "Me? I don't even know your number!" she exclaimed.

I blinked too. "Really? You're kidding, right?" I asked, laughing nervously.

Misao shook her head. "I'm not." she whispered and blinked. But suddenly, she smiled slyly and leaned against me. "Why are you asking?"

"Uh… I'm just asking!" I exclaimed, pushing her back slightly.

"Did Himura call you up?" Misao asked.

I blinked then sighed after. "Yeah, something like…" I paused then looked at Misao. "…yeah."

"What did he say?" Misao said eagerly, as if she was an enthusiast of Himura.

"He was like asking for the phone number of Megumi-chan…" I whispered. "Don't get the wrong idea, Misao-chan. He asked for the phone number of Megumi-chan and not mine."

Silence.

"He wouldn't ask for your number, Kaoru-chan." Misao whispered, her eyebrows rising up.

I looked at Misao. "Why?"

"He already knows it because he already called you up!" Misao exclaimed.

I blinked and stared at Misao for a moment. "Oh…yeah, right!"

Misao sighed. "You know, Kaoru-chan, sometimes you can be so stupid." she mumbled as she shook her head.

"What!"

The bus stopped at the school and we went out of it. We walked towards the school.

"Um, Kaoru-chan, why don't you go ahead?" Misao asked.

"Where are you going?" I asked, unlocking my locker.

"I'll go to the library. I'll go to the classroom as soon as I can! See you later!" Misao exclaimed and ran away, almost bumping to a teacher.

I blinked and turned around to face my locker once again. I took off my shoes and wore the white ones we wear inside the school. I locked my locker again and proceeded to go the classroom. I slid the door open, and I only saw 6 students inside. The teacher was not yet there.

I placed my bag down on the floor beside the desk and pulled out a random book to pretend I was reading it when I was actually watching the stupid guy beside me.

Himura was scribbling something, and the words I only saw there were "dead-last", "blockhead", and "idiot".

W-wait a minute--

"You are lucky,"

I blinked and looked up at Himura. Probably he saw me watching him so he was smiling _evilly_ at me. "What are you saying?" I asked, standing up, going towards the window to watch the students going inside the school.

"Look." Himura said, tapping my shoulder.

I groaned a little and turned around. My eyes widened when I saw the drawing he was doing a while ago. I raised my eyebrows. "What's that?"

"I'm giving it to you. Don't you know it's a piece of art? Since I pity you very much for being such an idiot, I decided to draw you! Aren't you cute here?" Himura exclaimed, laughing.

I looked at Himura for a moment before snatching the paper in his hands. I almost looked like an evil woman while I was tearing the paper and crumpling it. "You call this piece of art? Well, this is what I do!" I exclaimed and put the ball of paper inside his mouth.

Himura quickly spitted out the paper. He glared at me. "Why you…" he hissed. "You look like that anyway. It's worth spitting out."

I bit my lip. "Do you even call that a person! No human looks like that!" I exclaimed at him suddenly as I pulled both his cheeks.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

"Ha! That's what you get!" I said, laughing aloud as I watched Himura massage his red cheeks.

"Why you—" Himura whispered, glaring at me. "No one has ever done that to me before!"

"Well, I broke the record!"

Himura gritted his teeth and suddenly leaned forward towards me and pulled my cheeks too.

"Itai, itai, itai, itai, itai, itai, itai!"

Himura laughed at me. "AHAHAHA! You look like the picture I've drawn!" Himura exclaimed, his laughter so annoying to the ears.

Our classmates were looking at us and were whispering something.

I massaged my aching cheeks and glared at Himura. "You…"

Himura's laughter died down after some time. He took in some air and sighed deeply. He looked at me after and smirked.

I felt my left eyebrow twitch when I saw that evil smirk.

"I guess we're even." Himura whispered, his eyes locked with mine, panting.

"It won't get long." I whispered, panting too.

Himura didn't say anything for a moment, so he just stood up straight. "Have you gotten the number of Takani?"

I blinked. "Why would I get it? I don't need it." I said, sitting myself on my chair. "You get it yourself."

"Do you think you can tell me what to do?" Himura asked and chuckled. He sat on his chair and looked at me. "You know…" he trailed off as he watched me look at him straight.

"What?" I asked impatiently, noticing how his right hand was moving towards me.

Himura smiled a little but then it was changed by a smirk. "You amuse me."

I blinked, getting silent for a moment. When the thought registered in my mind, I fumed. "What's that suppose to mean? I'm not a toy!"

Himura laughed. "No, no, seriously. You amuse me." he exclaimed, followed by a laugh. He reached up to me and ruffled my hair.

I blinked yet again. He was getting serious this time, right?

"You amuse me because you're a blockhead, you know?" Himura exclaimed, pulling my hair suddenly but gently.

I winced a little, and I noticed that Himura's eyes widened for a moment and his grip on my hair loosened. Because of my anger, I ignored that and pushed his hand away from my head. "I'm not your pet!" I snapped.

Himura blinked, but then was followed by a smirk. "Yeah, I know, because you're not worthy to be one." he whispered and stood up to go to somewhere I didn't know where.

I closed my eyes, controlling my anger, and I grabbed the book that was lying on top of my desk. "You are impossible!" I shouted, catching up with Himura and hitting his head with it—very hard.

"OW! What the fucking hell was THAT for!"

"For you being such an asshole!"

_To think he was serious? To think I really amused him?_

…_Himura no baka!_

* * *

**TBC…**

**Author's notes again: **Well? How was this chapter? Does it suck bad? Hehehe... Let me know what you think. And, oh, the song that Misao was singing a while ago was "Chiisana Inori" or "A Small Prayer" from Fruits Basket... Try to download the mp3 of it, although it's rather hard to find it. Does anyone know where to download the full version of "Mystic Eyes" from Vision of Escaflowne? I've been looking all over the net searching for it but don't have luck... Hehehe...

Hope you wait for my next update!

Koharu-chan


	3. Dreaming

**Author's notes: **Um, okay, I admit it! I totally forgot that I was revising "Love in Spring"! All I thought about was "The Bridge". "Give Me a Chance" and other fanfics on mine! Oh well—maybe I really am lazy and forgetful. But I'll make it up for all of you by having this chapter as one of the greatest—or this story! Nyahahaha! That's right…Mmm hmm…oh yeah. Okay, I admit, I'm not sure. Just enjoy reading…hehehe.

**Notice: **There's a new character that you didn't see in the original story. I hope you like his role!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Rurouni Kenshin because it's too good to be true. I'm not that good to create a wonderful series just like this one!

(**Warning:** foul language, sexual implications, suicidal attempts, and others may be present in this story.)

_**This fanfic is written for entertainment purpose only and watching Rurouni Kenshin again isn't necessary.** **And the story plot is mine, okay? If the plot is the same with any other author, please contact me. (Oooh, I sound like a grownup already...hehehe)**_

* * *

**Previously…**

* * *

_Himura smiled a little but then it was changed by a smirk. "You amuse me."_

_I blinked, getting silent for a moment. When the thought registered in my mind, I fumed. "What's that suppose to mean? I'm not a toy!"_

_Himura laughed. "No, no, seriously. You amuse me." he exclaimed, followed by a laugh. He reached up to me and ruffled my hair._

_I blinked yet again. He was getting serious this time, right?_

* * *

**Love in Spring, Chapter 3: Dreaming**

* * *

"Tadaima!" 

My mother appeared by the doorway, looking at me with slightly wide eyes and a bowl on her arms. It contained something greenish—melon-flavored pudding 1? I was not sure.

"Okaeri nasai, Kao-chan… Did something interesting happen in school?" she asked, followed with a smile, as if she was amused on the way I looked.

A gut appeared at my forehead as I remembered something. "It's nothing, mom." I muttered, placing my shoes on the doorstep.

"Well, you better relax a little. Getting stressed at a young age like yours isn't good at all." My mother reminded, and then walked back to the kitchen to check on the food she was cooking. She said something that I didn't quite understand.

I didn't ask my mother what she was saying. My eyes caught suddenly the mirror by the cabinet. I looked at my reflection and drew out a long sigh. "Hai…" I replied. It was obvious in my face that I was stressed and that something bad was bothering me. Plus, my hair was a mess.

…like _that _devil Himura.

Oh joy.

After I had thwacked him on his head with a book, the teacher who passed by our classroom obviously saw me doing it, and he immediately reprimanded me. What irritated me was that I was the only who was being scolded at, and not **_that_** idiot.

After the teacher went away, my classmates talked about me in whispers (that I could **clearly** hear) that irritated me more. The sight of that devil feeling so innocent almost made me want to kill somebody. Unfortunately, there was Tae to talk to me about kendo because she knew that I would respond quickly to her and forget what was happening.

Oh goody.

I stomped my way up to my bedroom and closed the door after I went inside. I threw myself on the futon and winced when I landed. My futon wasn't thick enough, so I apparently hit the 'ground' too. But luckily it didn't do anything harmful to my body.

After 1 minute, lying on the futon wasn't relaxing anymore, so I got up and started to undress. There was a sudden but gentle knock on the door when I was taking off my blouse. Thinking that it was just my mom, I said foolishly, "Come in."

The door opened, and I turned around to ask her what she needed. But I was suddenly frozen on the spot.

Standing there was my tutor Shinomori Aoshi, staring at me with wide eyes that was unlikely of him and his mouth slightly open, like he was about to say something—or was shocked. I noticed that he was slightly pink.

I recognized that I was about to take off my bra when the intruder went inside my room, and I instantly freaked out.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

* * *

"I am so sorry, Shinomori-sensei…" I whispered, embarrassed. We were sitting on the floor with the small table in front of us where we usually hold our sessions. I quickly refilled his cup with tea when he sipped it a while ago. 

"It's okay. It doesn't hurt at all." Aoshi whispered, obviously lying, feeling his jaw. He moaned a little when he touched a sore spot.

I turned red because of utter embarrassment. "You don't need to cover up my mistake, sensei…" I begged, sobbing to myself. I remembered that when I lost control of myself, I grabbed the nearest thing I could reach and it was a paperweight. I threw it at him without thinking and it hit his jaw. He landed on the floor and groaned because of pain. He was almost unconscious. I nearly fainted when I saw blood coming out of his mouth.

"I'm so sorry, sen--!" I intended to bow while apologizing, but not realizing that there was a table in front of me, I hit my forehead on it hard. "Ow…." I whispered as I massaged my forehead.

Aoshi looked at me like he was shocked again, and when I knew it he was already _laughing_ at me. He laughed so hard that I couldn't help but stare.

_I didn't know he looked so pretty smiling like that._

"I—I'm sorry." Aoshi coughed with small chuckles, trying to regain his breath.

I just smiled. "That's okay. Oh yeah, sensei… Did you lose a tooth?" I asked curiously.

Aoshi shook his head slowly. "Thankfully, no." he whispered. He grabbed the teacup in front of him and sipped the tea. "Don't worry about it. It's all right."

"Um…well…I'm really sorry. I didn't really know it was you and my reflexes are just—"

"Didn't your mother tell you I was coming over? And I told you from the last session that we will continue our studying today, right?" Aoshi interrupted in a gentle way.

"Ah…I didn't understand what mom was telling me a while ago and I couldn't remember…" I whispered, scratching my head.

"Is something bothering you? You've never been unfocused before when we study." Aoshi whispered back, blinking.

_That's because I never get tired of studying with** you**._

"Oh, it's nothing. Nothing to worry about, ne?" I reassured my tutor, nodding.

"Hmm…" Aoshi stared at me for a moment before sipping the tea from his teacup.

I'm amazed that even if Aoshi-sensei is smart and almost knows everything, he still doesn't know my admiration for him. The first time I had set my eyes on him, the first time he visited our house, and the first time he sat with me in front of this very table, I knew that I was attracted to this cold-looking man.

"Aoshi-sensei?"

Aoshi looked at me with the cup still touching his lips. "Hmm?"

"How come you don't have a girlfriend?" I asked, blinking.

Aoshi just stared at me for a while like he didn't know the answer himself. He put the cup down and looked at the pile of books. "…not interested." He whispered.

"You're not interested in girls?" I exclaimed, bewildered.

"That's not it. It's just that I don't want to commit into anything just yet." Aoshi explained with a slight smile.

"How come? The boys in my class really want to have girlfriends."

Aoshi smiled again. "I like being single. It's fun." He said in a tone of finality.

"…oh." I blinked, utterly confused. _Fun, huh…?_

Aoshi grabbed the books at the edge of the table and opened one. "So…should we study then?"

"Yup. But let me get this out of here." I said, grabbing the teapot and tray. I stood and went to the kitchen, where my mom was almost finished making dessert.

"I don't know what kind of power you have over him, Kaoru-chan." My mother whispered with a small laugh while slicing some apples.

"Him?" I repeated, blinking.

"Shinomori-san, I mean." Mom said, looking at me. She smiled when she saw me blush. "You know, Shinomori-san isn't really talkative like that. Plus, he rarely laughs. Everytime he comes here in our household to teach you he becomes a different person. I wonder what you did with him."

I blushed harder. "W-wha…?" I stuttered, putting my hands on my cheeks. "Did I really…?"

"Yes, really. Now go on and study. Don't make Shinomori-san wait." My mother let out a "motherly laugh" and continued slicing the forgotten apple in front of her.

Shrugging off my sudden shyness towards Aoshi, I went back to the living room quietly. As soon as my eyes caught the man's frame, I froze, a blush creeping on my cheeks again. The "inner Kaoru" rolled her eyes for being such a wuss.

_I swear I'm going to get a high blood sooner than I thought._

Aoshi stared at me by the doorway. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"N-nothing, sensei." I stuttered again, mentally slapping myself. Fortunately, he didn't press on what I said.

"That's good…so are you ready to study?" Aoshi asked again, writing something in his notebook.

"Hai!" I said with a grateful nod and sat beside him.

_Only a little bit longer…Just a little bit longer…_

* * *

_No… I'm not yet ready, sensei…! Oh…sensei! Not there…! Shinomori-sensei! I…I'm…!_

"Hee hee… Hehehe…."

I opened my eyes slowly and focused on my surroundings. I saw Misao in front of me, her hands over her mouth, like she was trying to suppress a laugh. "M-Misao-chan…?" I whispered, rubbing my eyes.

Misao looked at me then burst into a loud laughter. She was laughing so hard she was already crying. She was also clutching her stomach, her feet swaying in mid-air. "HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!"

I sat up quickly, blinking confusedly. "W-what? Misao-chan! Why are you laughing? Why are you here? How'd you get in here?" I asked quickly.

"I…" Misao tried to talk, but she laughed again so I was getting annoyed. She paused to get some air. "I can't believe…" she continued, her laughs slowly disappearing but there was still a smile plastered on her face. "I can't believe you dream such things as _that_."

"That? What _that_?" I pressed in, determined to know what Misao was laughing at.

"You know…naughty things…with your tutor." Misao whispered then laughed again. "Ow…my stomach hurts...oh…HAHAHAHAH!"

"My tutor?" I repeated, and then when the thought of me dreaming about Aoshi in _that _way, I turned beet red. Misao's laughing made it worse.

"I know he's hot and all…but I didn't know you're already thinking about tha—"

I threw a pillow at Misao's face and stood up quickly. "I-It's none of your business! And why are you here anyway? You're destroying my morning!" I exclaimed, fixing my futon in a speed that was almost god-like. "It's your fault, too!"

"Me? Why me?" Misao asked, giggling.

"It's because you let me read "such" manga!" I exclaimed, determined to prove my innocence.

"What manga?"

"You know…two guys…"

"Oh…_yaoi_ manga!" Misao exclaimed with glee, pounding her palm with her fist. "I love those very much. But still, it is a yaoi manga. That doesn't explain why you dream of het—mmphff!"

"Misao-chan!" I shrieked, my hand over her mouth. "If you tell other people what happened, you'll meet Mr. I'm-your-worst-nightmare soon enough than you expected!" I threatened.

Misao nodded slowly, and when my hand left her mouth, she laughed again. "You're lame!"

I just sighed and got ready for the shower. After I got back, I saw Misao reading the same manga from yesterday.

"You know…about your tutor…" Misao started, looking at me.

"Yeah? What about him?" I asked as I picked my uniform from the cabinet. "Don't tell me you have a crush on him too."

"W-well, I have! And this is a free country, right? You have no right to be mad at me!" Misao stuttered, blushing furiously.

I looked at her as I fixed my hair. "I'm not saying I'm angry with you just because you like my tutor too. I'm not like the other girls out there who think that their crushes are their boyfriends." I explained. "Well…what exactly were you going to say?"

"It's nothing really important but…how old is he…?"

"The age difference is eight…so that makes him 25, I guess." I said, grabbing my bag. I went out of the room and closed it after Misao had gotten out of it too. I went downstairs and grabbed my lunch to put it inside my bag.

"Twenty-five… That's…" Misao paused.

"Old?"

"N-no! I just want to say that he doesn't look 25 at all. He looks…um, 21?" Misao whispered, giggling. She watched as I put the rice balls inside a small plastic. "Rice balls again? Don't you ever get tired of those?"

"My mom makes a lot of these and my dad doesn't really like them so much, so I'm always the 'terminator'." I explained, winking at my mother who was washing the dishes.

"Exactly." My mom just said and smiled.

"Oh, is that so? Then let me help you 'terminate' them!" Misao exclaimed excitedly and grabbed a rice ball.

"I'm going, ma! Take care of yourself!" I said as I put on my shoes by the doorstep.

With the rice ball still inside her mouth, Misao put on her shoes quickly that she almost tripped. "I'm going to see you tomorrow again, Kamiya-san! Take care!"

"_Iterasshai!_" My mom exclaimed from the kitchen.

Misao and I smiled at each other and left the house. We walked towards the bus stop and got inside the bus when it came. As Misao sat on the window seat, I noticed a familiar face sitting at the back row.

"Hey…isn't that…?" I whispered, analyzing who the person was. Being near-sighted and having no glasses was really hard.

Misao looked at me then at the person who was sitting at the back row. "Oh, it's Himura-kun!" she exclaimed. "You better sit down now anyways, Kaoru-chan. The bus will get moving soon."

But I didn't mind her. I was glaring at the devil at the back row who was reading some magazine that I thought was porn. "When did he ride buses? I thought he was rich and that he's always riding in a foreign car!" I said.

"I don't know. But please sit down, Kaoru-chan!" Misao pleaded.

But it was too late. The bus started moving towards the bumpy road and it shook slightly. I wasn't holding anything, so I fell back—or so I thought, for there was a pair of arms that caught me just in time. I sighed in relief and when I looked up I saw Misao and the other women gaping at the person who caught me. I also saw Himura stand up to, probably, laugh at me for my sudden fall.

"Are you all right?" the super familiar voice whispered.

My eyes widened and I instantly turned around to get a good look out of the person who saved me. I was suddenly frozen on the spot.

Standing behind me was none other than Sagara Sanosuke, who seemed oblivious to the stares and longing looks of the young women around him. There was a strange aura enveloping him that seemed to draw more and more looks from the people around to him, men and women. He seemed like a person who existed only in fantasies of women. He seemed unreal. The way he moved ever so slightly was graceful and the way he looked at the helpless girl in front of him was—

"Something wrong?" Sanosuke said, interrupting my trail of thoughts.

I was so shocked a while ago that I even forgot how to blush—if that was possible.

"N-no, nothing at all…" I whispered in an inaudible voice. I was shocked enough to find him in the bus, for I haven't seen him ride on one before. I stood up with the help of Sanosuke and brushed off imaginary dirt from my skirt. "A-no…thank you, Saga—um, Sanosuke…" I corrected myself.

Sanosuke just smiled with a curt nod and headed towards the back row to sit beside his best friend Himura who was still staring at me. I ignored it and sat beside Misao. I noticed that the women in the bus began to talk in whispers and all the while looking at me.

"Everyone seated down now?" the driver asked, smiling a little.

I turned red because of embarrassment when some people laughed. I almost curled up into a ball as I hid my face with my bag. It didn't help much. Misao's giggling didn't help either. The bus started moving and I was relieved that the looks and the laughing I received from people I didn't know stopped.

"You know, I wished it was Aoshi-san who saved you, so I could get a chance to see him!" Misao said happily, looking for something in her bag.

"It…wouldn't make a change though." I paused, remembering something. "I can't believe Saga—Sanosuke saw me in that embarrassing moment! It would've been much better if I just fell without him saving me." I coughed, holding my bag tighter.

"When did you call him Sanosuke?" Misao asked, stopping her movements.

"He said I should call him that. I don't know why…" I whispered, looking away. I didn't really know why he gave me the right to call him by his first name. Was I worthy enough to roll my tongue around his name?

What the _hell_ am I thinking just now? Perv.

Misao took out her _ketai_ (cellphone) and pressed some buttons. "But it was like a dream come true for you, you know? He was your prince charming and he saved you. Isn't that good enough?" she asked without looking at me.

"I guess so…but still! It will not hurt much if I had fallen on the bus floor. Only my butt would hurt for a while." I whispered, suddenly recalling the latest yaoi manga I've been reading. I suddenly felt goosebumps on my neck.

"That reminds me of a _yaoi_ manga!" Misao noted with glee, as if she had read my mind. She continued pressing buttons on her pink _ketai_.

I didn't say anything, but instead just stared at the bus floor where I had almost fallen. I suddenly felt the urge to look back where Sanosuke was seated, and I did so slowly, careful not to let anyone notice. As I slowly turned, the bus stopped abruptly, and my face was plastered at the back of the chair in front of me.

The people in the bus started complaining to the driver and they stood up to protest. I just rubbed the bridge of my nose while Misao was still looking at the darn _ketai_.

"What the hell was that for?"

"We could've died, you know!"

"My coffee was spilled!"

"That was fun!"

"Curses!"

"I'm all hot and wet right now!"

"W-what did you say?"

"I meant I'm hot and wet from the spilled coffee, you pervert!"

"I'm late for my work!"

"Do that again!"

The driver apologized profusely as he scratched his head. "I'm so sorry, everyone. It's just that a cat suddenly crossed the road, and I'd do anything not to harm it." He whispered.

"Well, it's better to kill the cat than to kill 36 or more people inside this bus." A man scoffed. The chatters continued even if the bus started to move again.

I continued to massage the bridge of my nose and tried to glance back at the person I intended to see.

Sanosuke was listening to something from his mp3 player and Himura beside him was still reading the magazine. He had that strange look on his face, like a smile but at the same time a smirk and a frown.

_What's in that magazine anyway?_

I squinted to see them in a clearer way. But suddenly, Himura glanced up from his magazine and caught me looking at them. He sort of smiled/smirked at me, and I couldn't help but stick my tongue out to him and turn around as quickly as possible.

"Hmm? She's not replying." Misao said suddenly, blinking at her _ketai_.

"Who?" I asked curiously.

"Megu-chan." Misao responded, looking at me. "I wonder what happened…"

"Maybe her _ketai_ is turned off. Don't worry about it too much. We're going to see her in class anyway." I reassured her, leaning back to my seat with eyes closed.

After some minutes, the bus stopped with the driver announcing that we were already on the street near our school. Some people got off the bus with us, including Sanosuke and Himura.

"Hey, don't you want to walk with your Sanosuke-_sama_, Kaoru-_hime_?" Misao said in a teasing tone, fluttering her eyes at me and clasping her hands together as she stepped beside me.

"W-why should I? Just because I have the privilege to call him by his first name doesn't mean I'm his…you know…" I whispered, blushing at the words I was going to utter next.

"Oooh…I know what you mean…" Misao giggled and looked back. "There they are. Sagara-kun is looking right at you! Take a look, quick!" she exclaimed, nudging me with her elbow.

"Noooo!" I exclaimed, blushing furiously now. I held my bag tightly again. "Stop teasing me, Misao!" I said to her, but I secretly looked back and saw Sanosuke talking to a sophomore girl.

Misao laughed again. "Yeah, yeah. You're no fun at all!" she said, waving her hand in front of me.

We went inside the school grounds and walked towards our small lockers. As I grabbed my school shoes from my locker, Misao was already wearing them.

"W-wha…? That was quick!" I exclaimed.

"Well, I still have to go to the library!" Misao said, putting her leather shoes in the locker.

"Why do you always go to the library?" I asked her as I tucked my foot in the rubber shoe.

"It's a secret!" Misao said as she picked up her bag from the floor. "See you at class!" she exclaimed and ran off, disappearing quickly in the hallway.

I blinked for some moments, and then sighed rather loudly. I continued putting on my shoes and when I finished I grabbed my bag from the floor and was going to walk when a hand suddenly landed on my right shoulder. I looked back, startled.

"Hey Kamiya. You put up a pretty good show a while ago in the bus." Himura said, a smile/smirk on his face. "No wonder they call you an idiot." He said with a chuckle.

"You…!" I growled and nearly punched him when suddenly the girl that Sanosuke was talking to a while ago stepped beside Himura.

"Ken-kun!" she called out, flushing.

"Huh?"

"Ken-kun…I…um…" the girl trailed off, blushing.

I blinked, considering to leave them alone, and turned back to walk away from the two. I stopped walking suddenly when I heard what the girl was trying to say.

"Um…are you…um…free this Friday? I mean…there's no meeting with the guys and all, so…" the girl asked, probably beet red already.

"Oh…like a date?" Himura asked, his voice very different from the tone he used on me a while ago. "What time would I pick you up?"

"Oh…oh! Really, Himura-sempai!" the girl asked excitedly.

I looked back slightly to see what the girl looked like after what Himura had said. I slowly turned around and my eyes widened in surprise that I almost dropped my bag too.

"Yeah."

The girl was jumping around in happiness when she heard the sweet answer from him. She didn't notice that…

…Himura was staring at me while he said it. His face was blank and I was getting uncomfortable with his eyes on me...

…and only me.

I looked away after some seconds, and turned around to walk away from him—quickly. I went straight to the restroom and looked at my reflection in the mirror when no one was around already. While I panted for breath, I noticed that I was slightly pink. No one has ever stared at me like that before, a stare with a _meaning _to it that I can't fully comprehend.

I suddenly realized that I've caught Himura staring at me for some time now. Why didn't I notice earlier? And why the hell does my heart beats so fast?

I leaned against the wall and sighed. I remembered the incident when we were in grade six. I smiled sheepishly to myself. The reason why I hated Himura, I realized, was because he had the things I wanted. I was envious of him, being able to speak up what he wants to say, being rich, popular, and all kinds. The incident about me liking Yukishiro Enishi as an excuse to hate Himura was really **_stupid._** I just used that to cover up my enviousness.

_No wonder they call you an idiot._

I frowned and looked back at my reflection again. "So you're right for once, Himura…" I shook my head and after a while I nodded. I wasn't sure why I was doing it.

When I finally calmed up, I went out of the classroom and walked through the hallway, realizing that I was nearly late for class. I ran towards the classroom even before the teacher arrived, and I didn't look around the classroom when I entered. I sat on my assigned seat quickly, inching away my seat from Himura and closer to Tae-chan.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Kaoru-chan." Tae greeted, smiling at me with her eyes closed.

"Ohayou, Tae-chan!" I greeted back, putting the strap of my bag over the 'hook' at the side of my desk. I looked at my left side secretly and I realized then that Himura still wasn't in class.

"Kaoru-chan!" Misao called out, standing up from her seat. "How come you're almost late for class?"

"Um…I still had to go to the bathroom." I whispered.

"Menstrual pain or call of nature?" Misao asked, giggling.

"Neither!" I exclaimed. I glanced back at the empty seat at my left accidentally.

"I wonder where Himura-kun is…" Tae said to me, or probably to herself, as if she voiced out my thoughts. "Do you know, Kaoru-chan?"

I blinked. "N-no! How am I supposed to know?" I asked, rather hysterically.

"I'm just asking…" Tae whispered, pouting. She then smiled when I squeaked out an apology to her.

"Hmm…Himura-kun's probably talking to his _kouhai _(opposite of sempai)!" Shura said to us. She was just seated beside Tae, playing with her pencil because of boredom. She promptly put it down when the topic about Himura-kun started to deepen. We all knew that Shura had a great and strange liking for the said guy.

"_Kouhai_?" Misao and I asked at the same time, thus letting our eyes meet as if we were twins or so.

Shura nodded, putting her palm beneath her chin as if she was in deep thought. "I saw them a while ago, but I wasn't near to hear what they're talking about. You were there too, Kaoru-chan, right?" she asked, pointing at me.

Misao looked at me as she sat on my desk. "Really? After I left for the library?" she asked.

Tae just blinked, obviously waiting for my answer.

I quickly waved both my hands in front of me. "I…I was there but I didn't hear what they were saying!" I explained, obviously lying.

"That's okay. A friend of mine told me this. But anyway, my friend said she heard that the girl asked Himura-kun out and he quickly accepted it. But after some minutes, Himura politely said he had other plans, that he wasn't in the mood for dating someone yet." Shura explained.

My eyes widened and I gasped a little, but my friends didn't seem to notice. Why would he do that—after he had agreed?

"Hmm…" Misao hummed, tapping her fingers on my desk. "Well, he might've grown tired of dating all those girls approaching him. It's just natural that he wasn't in the 'mood' for it—or whatever he says."

_Did he refuse the girl after I left? But why?_

"Maybe you're right. Maybe he's tired of looking for a replacement of his first love." Tae whispered.

"First love?" Misao and Shura exclaimed, their eyes wide.

"I heard that the woman was older than—"

I stood up so sudden that Misao almost fell from my desk. I placed my hands on the desk as loudly as I could, gritting my teeth at the same time. The entire class stopped their chatters and looked at me as soon as they heard the noise.

"Uh…Kaoru-chan…?" Shura whispered, blinking.

"Why the hell are we talking about him and his first love? This isn't right! We don't have to gossip about his woman or anything! And I don't want to hear anything about him!" I exclaimed, pounding my fist on my desk. It was exaggeration, but…

"Who are you talking about?"

Shura, Tae, and Misao looked at the familiar person behind me who was emitting a familiar aura. Their eyes widened and they were speechless.

I turned around slowly and saw Himura himself standing behind me, his bag draped over his shoulder. It was the first time I felt so lucky because I didn't say his name a while ago. If I had, I'd…

Himura's right eyebrow rose up. "What's with the staring?" he asked in annoyance, sitting down on his seat. "Quit it." His words were like poisoned. He grabbed a _shounen_ manga from his bag and started reading it.

Misao stood up with a meaningful cough. "Um…I'm excited about cooking class today! I'm going to Nanako's place to discuss about something…!" she said with a cough again and strode away quickly to our classmate.

Tae and Shura looked at each other and then talked about the new male teacher in the school, as if they were avoiding something.

Me? I just blinked. Sat down. Pondered.

Watsuki-sensei arrived in class after a minute or so, and he started taking attendance after we had greeted him with a bow. After that, he wrote some notes on the board.

I secretly looked at Himura, pretending that I was busily writing the notes on my notebook. I noticed that the manga was still in his hands, but he wasn't reading it. His eyes looked distant, as if he was thinking about something so deeply. I also noticed that he was unusually quiet. In all those years of being classmates, I had never seen Himura so quiet (unless there's a test, of course) because he kept talking to his friends and to the girls who liked him. Maybe he was in a bad mood? Probably. But why?

My eyebrows twitched on their own.

_Why am I so worked up with this? I don't care—unless he's suffering a terrible sickness._

A crumpled paper hit me suddenly at my head then it landed on my desk. I opened the paper and it said, "Stop daydreaming, bonehead! The teacher's going to see you! XD"

I looked around and saw Misao winking. I smiled and nodded quickly before sensei could even catch us.

_Why should I let myself be bothered? It's not like I…_

I didn't look at the person at my left anymore.

* * *

The 5:00 pm bell rang loudly. It was already dismissal time. 

I got up and started to fix my things. At the corner of my eye, I saw that Himura was preparing to leave as well. He stood up and went outside of the classroom in quick strides.

I didn't know what had gotten into me because I started following him. When I spotted Sanosuke at the hallway, however, I was frozen on my tracks. He was with the same girl from earlier, and it seemed that they were waiting for someone. It was Himura.

Himura merely looked at the girl and walked ahead with the two following him. He seemed pretty serious, while the girl and Sanosuke were just laid back, laughing at something that Sanosuke probably joked about. But it was quite obvious that the girl from before was holding back something, like she wanted to say something to Himura.

I frowned. "I wouldn't be able to follow them like this…and why do I have to follow them?" I whispered, punching myself mentally. I turned away and started walking towards the lockers. "Himura…looks so serious. I couldn't help but wonder what happened…"

As soon as I was finished wearing my normal shoes, I walked outside of the school gates and proceeded to the bus stop. However, my eyes caught the path leading to the Cherry Blossoms Road. I gripped my school hat and kept it inside my bag for I remembered the incident in the other day.

"Sanosuke is with them…so he wouldn't just show up here suddenly." I said to no one in particular as I walked. When I reached the actual road, I couldn't help but to gaze at the beautiful trees in admiration. Sakura trees endlessly fascinated me—I didn't even know why. Something about the feeling of being surrounded by the pink blossoms warmed my heart. It would, perhaps, be nicer if someone was with you viewing the beautiful blossoms.

I sighed to myself. I sat under a cherry tree and leaned back against the trunk. "I wonder how _'being hit on'_ feels like…I'm such a loser...!" I whined quietly. Being a student in high school surrounded by swarming love-sick girls caused me to think such things. I sighed deeply again.

_How hopeless._

I closed my eyes for a moment, taking the time to relax myself. I suddenly felt a warm body sit beside me. I opened my eyes slowly and glanced at my side.

"It really _is_ relaxing here."

I nearly had a heart attack.

Sanosuke smiled at me after he had glanced up at the cherry blossoms. "We should come here more often." He said, looking at me again.

I quickly nodded and suddenly I was interested in my shoes. "Um…why are you here?" I asked.

Sanosuke closed his eyes and leaned back against the trunk with both his hands at the back of his head. "Why? Don't you want me here?" he asked back. He chuckled.

"N-no!" I said quickly and that made him laugh. "It's just that…I saw you with Himura and a girl a while ago." I explained, blushing.

"Oh…that." Sanosuke whispered with his eyes still closed. "They had something to do. I was just there to keep the girl entertained while waiting for Kenshin."

"Oh…" I murmured, unsatisfied with his answer. I wanted him to explain it a bit more, like where would they go or why, but I knew it was none of my business anymore. I sat back with the curiosity burning in my veins.

"You know what, Kaoru?"

I blushed when I realized my name was so beautiful. "Uh…?"

Sanosuke opened his eyes and looked at me. "You remind me of someone—someone really close to me and Kenshin." he whispered, smiling again. But this time, I noticed that it was a sad smile.

"Really? Who?" I asked, leaning forward towards Sanosuke. He didn't seem to mind that I had taken up his space.

"It's the sister of Enishi." Sanosuke started then laughed when he saw my reaction. "Don't worry. The two are complete opposites. Her name's Tomoe."

"Tomoe? That's a nice name. Is she kind…?" I asked, suddenly interested in the girl.

"You bet! She's the nicest woman I've ever met… Tomoe-san is…one of a kind." Sanosuke murmured slowly, as if he was recalling something important.

"Is she—"

Sanosuke's cellphone rang loudly, so it interrupted me from speaking.

"Oh, excuse for a moment." Sanosuke said and grabbed his cellphone out of his pocket. He stood up and walked until he was sure that I wouldn't hear anything he said in the cellphone.

I watched him pace back and forth. I sighed again and sat back, looking at the trees. "I wonder how this Tomoe-san looks like…" I whispered. "Sanosuke said I reminded him of Tomoe-san—on what, probably?"

"_You remind me of someone—someone really close to me and Kenshin."_

I looked at Sanosuke again. He was finished speaking on the phone, so he walked to the place where I sat.

"Sorry. It's Kiyoko-chan." Sanosuke said, sitting beside me again.

"Kiyoko?" I asked, blinking. "Who's that?"

"Oh. She's our _kouhai_. You know, the girl from earlier who was with me." Sanosuke explained. "She's cute, but she can be very annoying." He said with a chuckle.

"How come?" I asked again as I tilted my head to one side.

Sanosuke grinned at me. "It seems like she wants to be the girlfriend of everybody in the gang so she can be popular in her batch. She's a good girl, but she can really be a bitch at times." He whispered. He looked at my confused face. "We know that she really likes Kenshin—it's funny to see how she acts in front of him. It's as if she's possessed when he's around."

I sat still, stared at Sanosuke, deep in thought. "Well…this Kiyoko and I are very much alike—in a way. For most of the people, they may think I have a split personality…" I thought. When I'm around Sanosuke or Aoshi-sensei, I get all love-sick, blush-y, quiet, and other more. But when I'm around the people I hate (just Himura, I think) I get angry, start shouting, throwing random things in the air, biting other people's arms (like a dog), and other more crazy gestures. It's amazing, though.

"What's wrong?" Sanosuke asked, noticing that I was quiet in a sudden.

"N-nothing." I stuttered. Suddenly, I remembered something. "You said that Kiyoko wants to be the girlfriend of everybody, right? How come…" I trailed off.

"She thinks that's the way to get closer to Kenshin. But she's wrong. Kenshin doesn't like girls such as that. It's obvious that she has no chance on him." Sanosuke explained, looking up at the trees again.

"Really? Ken—I mean, Himura isn't like that?" I asked.

Sanosuke nodded. "He doesn't look like it, but he is, really—or should I say that he looks like **_it_**, but he isn't really." he added, further confusing me more. He laughed at me for this.

"Hmm… Why did she call you?" I asked. I suddenly remembered that it was none of my business. "I'm sorry for asking! You don't need to tell me!" I quickly added.

Sanosuke smiled. "Nah, it's okay. They went to Enishi's house. Kiyo-chan just told me her impression of Tomoe-san. She also said that they're on their way here."

"Oh…" I whispered again and relaxed against the trunk of the tree. After some seconds, I bolted right up that even Sanosuke was freaked out.

_**WHAT AND WHAT?**_

"Whoa! Kaoru!" he practically screamed because of surprise. "What's wrong?" he then asked with a relaxed smile. Cold sweat trickled down to his neck.

"They are coming here? How on earth did they know about this place?" I asked, waving my hands.

"This road is pretty popular, you know. You may not see any person right now, but in the evening there are lots." Sanosuke said. He grabbed my hand and pulled me down to sit beside him again. "Relax. I'll make sure Kiyo-chan won't bitch you."

I blinked. "Why would she 'bitch' me?" I asked.

"It's because you're with me. She doesn't like seeing other girls with the guys in the gang. She's very possessive. Poor Kenshin." Sanosuke whistled.

I kept quiet and looked at the boy beside me.

_It's not Kiyoko I'm worried about—but Himura._

"Sanosuke?"

"Yep?"

"Why did you let me call you by your first name?" I finally asked, swallowing hard.

Sanosuke glanced at me. "To tell you the truth, I don't know. I really don't know." he whispered. "There's something about you. I know we aren't very close—but I want us to be. I just…I feel that I **have** to get closer to you or get to know about you better." He sat up and stared at me, directly at my eyes.

I felt my heart jumping. "You're kidding me, right?" I whispered.

"No." Sanosuke said and smiled a little. "Why? _Doki doki_? 2"

I felt my cheeks heat. "N-no! I'm…just making sure." I murmured.

"But I'm telling the truth. I want to know more about you. I want to—"

"Stop that cheesy line you're going to say!" a voice interrupted.

Both our heads turned to the direction where the voice came from.

"Sano! Who's that?" Kiyoko exclaimed, stomping her way to the place where we sat.

I glanced up at my _kouhai_ and saw Himura standing under a tree with his arms crossed over his chest. It seemed he had been there for a while now. _How long was he watching?_

"Oh…you're the girl from earlier! You're Kamiya sempai, am I right?" Kiyoko asked.

I stood up and nodded. "Yeah. Nice to meet you, _kouhai_." I said, offering my hand.

Kiyoko looked at it then looked at Sanosuke. "Sorry, I don't handshake **_un_**popular girls like you—"

"What the—"

"—even if you're my _sempai_."

"—hell…?"

Kiyoko walked towards Sanosuke and slapped his arm gently as I blinked. "I didn't know it's so nice to be here in mid-afternoon. Why didn't you tell me before about this place, _sempai_?" She said with a tug on her hair, obviously asking the great Sanosuke (no sarcasm here) instead of **me**.

Sanosuke looked at me strangely. I even saw Himura looking at me from the corner of my eye. They knew I was hurt because Kiyoko said such things.

I shook my head. _I wouldn't lose to her!_ I thought. I clenched my fists and looked down on the grass that weren't oh-so-soft. In my mind, I was punching the girl senselessly. Suddenly, I had an adrenaline rush and I knew I had to use it already.

"Oh, if you don't know this road, you must be pretty stupid…" I said with a whistle as I glanced around the trees. "…little girl." I added.

"W-what did you say?" Kiyoko asked, completely disarmed with my sudden comeback.

"This road is **very** popular, my sweet _kouhai_. It's a pity you don't know such simple things." I said. I knew that I was having a stupid smug smile on my face. But it can't be helped. I even heard Sanosuke and Himura (I think) snickering softly.

"W-why you--!" she exclaimed, ready to pounce at me.

"Quit it, Kiyo!" Sanosuke said, holding off the girl.

Kiyoko glared at me then at Sanosuke. "Why are you stopping me? She's saying bad things about me! You should be stopping her instead!" she exclaimed, pointing at me.

Sanosuke gritted his teeth. "You're the one who started it! Just quit being such a bitch, Kiyo-_baba_."

I laughed so hard and stuck my tongue out to her. I smiled/smirked when Kiyoko's eyebrows twitched on their own.

"Don't call me that! I'm not an old woman!" Kiyoko hissed. After a few minutes she calmed down a bit. She gave me a fierce look before resting her hands on the sides of her hips.

"Hey Sano," Himura called out after a while. It was obvious he was watching and was interested in the incident just minutes ago.

Sanosuke and Kiyoko looked at him. I did too, for I couldn't help it.

"Don't tell me you forgot." Himura frowned. "We'll be late." He said.

Sanosuke blinked then slapped his forehead. "Oh yeah! We have a meeting with the gang!" he exclaimed.

"Well duh." Kiyoko muttered.

"Why did you come here when you have a meeting?" I asked Sanosuke, completely confused.

Sanosuke smiled then looked at Kiyoko. She met his eyes and then she started stomping towards the place where Himura was angrily. Sanosuke looked at me again. He leaned in and I could feel his warm breath against my ear.

"S-Sanosuke…what are you…?" I asked, blushing hard. I couldn't think of anything but the warm breath touching my skin.

"I came here just to see you…" Sanosuke whispered in a low and soft voice, and I could almost _feel_ him smiling.

My eyes widened. If they were wide before, my eyes now were wider like dinner plates. I couldn't say anything, however. I was speechless.

Sanosuke stood up straight and looked back at me. He lifted his hand and ruffled my hair. "Let's meet again here, Kaoru…but it'll be nicer if it was night." He murmured.

"Night?" I repeated. "Why…?"

Sanosuke just smiled and winked as he withdrew his hand from my head. He walked towards Kiyoko and Himura who were watching us. I saw Himura scowling deeper than before.

_Whats wrong with that guy?_

"I would LOVE to see you in school tomorrow, Kamiya-sempai!" Kiyoko said in a sarcastic tone as she rolled her eyes. She tugged Himura's sleeve, making him say a soft, "Don't touch me."

_I hope you get whiteheads on your eyeballs, bitch. _The "inner Kaoru" 3 laughed evilly.

"See you later!" Sanosuke exclaimed, waving a hand. When he turned back, however, I noticed that Himura was out of Kiyoko's grasp. He looked at me like he wanted to eat me alive.

"W-what?" I asked, my eyes twitching in fright. Or annoyance. I couldn't tell.

"I didn't know you wore polka-dotted panties." 4

My eyes widened yet again. Before I could say anything, however, Himura was calmly walking away from me and disappearing slowly from my view.

_Whoosh… _(the sound of the wind)

"DAMN YOU HIMURA YOU PERVERT! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOUR GUTS! STOP PRETENDING TO BE SO COOL!" I exclaimed, throwing random things in the air.

I earned a lot of hateful/bewildered looks from the people who just went inside the road because of my shouts. It was the most embarrassing moment in my life. And it happened because of Himura.

"Great…" I whispered as I hid myself from the people under the trees. Images of Himura laughing in a devilish tone made me wince. "…just _great_."

* * *

**TBC…**

* * *

1 For those who watched _Yakitate! Japan_…surely you know what this looks like. For those who don't know, this was the _cheap ingredient _Kazuma used to be sandwiched by the bread dough and cookie dough like a sushi. I forgot what Japan number this bread is, unfortunately… I just remembered the stunt the judge made because of the great taste of the bread! Nyahahaha! 

2 _Doki doki _is the heart beating fast because of excitement. It can also mean excitement only. It's used in many manga, too! I just had the urge to insert those cute words in the story.

3 I couldn't stop myself from adding this "inner (insert name)" thing. Yeah, we all know that that is Haruno Sakura's trademark—which is amusing (although I didn't like her that much before. I do, now).

4 Of course, to those who have read/watched _Gakuen Alice_ would say, "That's Natsume!" Yes, I got the idea from GA and I borrowed the nickname of Mikan ('Polka-dotted panties girl' as Natsume calls her) for a while. But isn't it cute?

**_Notes:_** Whoa…like **whoa**. I think this is the longest chapter I've ever done in my whole life. Seriously! I know that this chapter is very different to the original chapter, and some of you might be disappointed, especially the ones who liked the 'class picture scene'. Also, some KK fans might be disappointed with this chapter because it was mostly SK. Well…that's what the story does. Hehehe…I know I'm an evil author. But really, in the original story, there was a "months passed", and I didn't want to hasten the story like what I did before. So…I think we'll have more chapters in this story (I think)! But I hope some of you will be happy with Aoshi presented in this chapter! Oh yeah, I was going to add some more scenes, but I figured it would take too long for me to update again. Speaking of updates…

Summer's here and that means lots of update…I hope!

I almost forgot! My cousin says that if she has the time, she'll make an online manga of this story! Her drawing is good, and I hope it would be posted soon! I'll tell you all if it can be accessed already! (_Kyaaaaa_! I'm so excited!)

That is all! Reviews are very welcome! You'll receive a _howalon _if you do (I think)! Also, as a side note, howalon (or isn't it?) is a cotton candy-like shown in chapter 12 of Gakuen Alice manga. Thanks to those who would review!

Koharu-_**hime** _(Nyahahaha! I should really stop dreaming )

**P.S.** I'd love to comment on each of the reviews, but the computer just keep resetting! It's agitating me! Graaah...! Thanks for the lovely reviews, people!


End file.
